On 5/28/2019 2:38 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 10:32:47 AM UTC-7, Mark J. wrote:
On 5/28/2019 8:45 AM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 5/28/2019 10:02 AM, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 12:32:01 AM UTC-7, Chalo wrote:
In my observation, when disc brakes get wet, they lose power and make
noise. Evidently people who believe in them also believe they don't
get wet.

The best brakes for wet conditions are drums, which almost always
stay dry inside where it counts, and which give consistent braking
that helps avoid unwanted skidding or overrun. They're also much
cleaner than discs in the wet. I never hear any of the folks who
tout discs' wet performance mention drums. Maybe they're more into
new hotness than good wet braking? Or do they think weaker wheels
make for better stopping?


Drums are great except when you want to stop on a long descent or
quickly. A Sturmey-Archer front hub also weighs more than a modern
racing frame. http://www.sturmey-archer.com/en/products/detail/xl-fd
Can you even get a drum with a QR? A drum brake doesn't solve any
problems for me.

For a long time, Santana (the tandem manufacturer) advised against disc
brakes, saying IIRC that those then available didn't have the thermal
capacity for long descents with tandem loads.

I think they now have their own model with a greatly oversized disc.

IIRC, Santana said a /lot/ of things were unsuitable for tandems...
until Santana started selling those things.

Mark J.

And the drums of the era like the Arai drum brakes were just rear drag brakes known to overheat. The primary brakes were still cantis or v-brakes.

-- Jay Beattie.


With likely more miles and years on a drum (1953 SA) than
anyone here, they are indeed the same wet or dry, warm
(never experienced overheating symptoms) or cold (cold being
Wisconsin headline-notable cold).

They are indeed ridiculously heavy and impede wheel changes.

The most significant aspect IMHO is that while they offer
some consistent brake effect, drums can't be a primary brake
in traffic or probably most real-world riding[1]. Another
snappier more responsive brake is needed. In my case a
Universal 61 front which I lost in a car crash, replaced by
a Zeus Alfa front.

As with Santana's big disc, which is tandem-specific and
proportional to the load, a drum for a tandem should be much
larger to dissipate heat effectively. Arai drums are not.

[1] There are outliers such as 20" Schwinn Krates with big
Atom aluminum front drum on a small diameter 16" wheel.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971